Posted on 2/22/2013

The alignment of your body is key, especially when exercising, weather it’s working out in a gym moving weights or having a smooth flowing Tai Chi or Qi Gong practice.  It’s very important to be aware of your alinement and how you move with it.  Here are a few tip on alinement .

Feet  should be pointed straight head ankle, knee and hip are lined up.

If movement requires bending or rotating, the foot and ankle should remain in proper alignment, avoid buckling inward at the ankle.  If not the ankle will roll inward and create a flat foot which will in turn increase pressure on the knee and hip. 

Knees should be lined up with your 2nd & 3rd toe, away from the big toe,  

knees should remain in proper alignment avoiding excessive buckling inward. Knees should be soft like a spring.  

Hip and Pelvis should be level in all 3 planes of motion. Sagittal is like walking, or push and pull motions.  Frontal- side to side movements and transverse is movements that require twisting .

If motion requires a single leg stance, rotation and bending or squatting, the hips and pelvis should remain in proper alinement avoiding unwanted shifting like arching in the low back.  Basically the hips should be neutral. There should not be to much of an arch in the low back and the hips should not be too tucked forward towards your ribs.  Your hips should be neutral and the left and right side of the hips should be balanced meaning one leg should not be longer than the other. 

 Your hips are like a bowl of bone broth. The bowl needs to stay balanced to avoid spilling your precious liquid gold, therefore the bowl can not tip too much forward or backwards or it will spill. 

Low Back should be in a neutral position, avoiding excessive arching or rounding of the back.

Shoulders should be in a neutral position, level,  not elevated by your ears or depressed, slightly back and down away from the ear. 

In all movements of the shoulder it should be balanced or in a neutral position 

Repetitive movements will create muscle imbalances in the body. Muscles will become tight from the over use and weak from not stabilizing or balancing the movement. Over time this starts to put pressure on the joints causing inflammation and pain. 

Head and Neck Should be aligned in a neutral position with the chin tucked so ears are alined with the shoulders.